Justice Makes Strides In Tigers Organization

LAKE SPORTS

The Tavares Graduate Plays Center Field For Detroit's Class A Team In Oneonta, N.y.

July 21, 2004|By Sean C. Wells, Special to the Sentinel

As the ball cracked off the bat and flew into the left-center-field gap, two Oneonta Tigers outfielders gave their best effort to make the play. Left fielder Jeff Frazier, knowing he didn't have a shot at the ball, conceded to his teammate.

"You've got room," he yelled.

At that moment, 19-year-old center fielder Justin Justice leaped and snagged the ball for an out just as he crashed into the wooden wall at Damaschke Field in Oneonta, N.Y. This sort of play has become routine for the former Tavares High School standout, who is enjoying his first season of professional baseball.

Justice was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 31st round of the 2003 amateur draft. Rather than sign immediately, he attended Lake-Sumter Community College for one season to see if he could raise his stock for the 2004 draft.

Justice changed his mind, however, and signed a contract this summer to play for what he assumed would be the Tigers' rookie-league team. To his surprise, the Tigers immediately designated the 6-foot, 170-pound outfielder to their Class A team in the New York-Penn League.

Through 24 games this season, Justice is batting .225 with two homers and 10 RBIs. Although he has endured a tough slump at the plate, his effect is felt every night in the outfield.

"He's been playing great defense for us," said John Nader, Oneonta's general manager. "He displays great range in center field, and he's getting better."

In his senior season at Tavares, Justice hit .585 with 10 homers. He split time between starting in center field and as the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation.

He rarely considered the idea of being drafted and had plans to attend community college to hone his craft.

That all changed on Day 2 of the 2003 draft.

While hanging out with a high-school teammate and eating a bowl of cereal, Justice got a phone call he will never forget.

"When the Tigers called, I really couldn't believe it," he said. "I was speechless at first, and then I just lost it."

The change in scenery was not a mild one. From the heat and thunderstorms of Central Florida, Justice relocated to the overcast skies of rural upstate New York.

"The biggest difference is that there is no type of big city," Justice said. "There are lots of mountains and deer, though."

Justice has studied the game's best at his position, learning different tricks of the trade that he hopes will set him apart from his peers.

While Ken Griffey Jr. was his favorite player growing up, he quickly remarked that he styles his game after Yankees great Mickey Mantle -- a player of his father's generation.

"Growing up, my dad would always take me out and we would play catch," Justice said. "He was my coach for 10 years, until I got to high school."